


Day 078

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [78]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23208115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Relationships: Bianca Davri/Varric Tethras
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [78]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 078

Fereldon was a country full of dogs and people who loved dogs. So it was a great surprise to Varric that the absolute best cheese in Thedas came from the South Reach. Some claimed that the farm’s proximity to the haunted Brecillian forest gave the cheese magical deliciousness but Varric was sure they just knew which blend of spices to add or something. The aroma was nutty with a mild yeasty taste, perfect for spreading on bread, which Varric was doing currently.

The best bread in Thedas was baked by your mother, at least that’s what Varric had learned to say to people after having tried their mother’s bread. For his money, as he had no mother around to bake bread, Varric went with a local bakery in Lowtown. The baker’s wife made flatbreads while her husband was busy selling his fluffy loafs. Her bread was always just slightly singed, given it a satisfying crunch when you bit into one. The flatbreads were perfect for spreading cheese all over but also as a place to rest thin slices of cured ham.

The best ham came from the Anderfels, and not the shit that tasted of despair. The trick was cutting through all the salmanship that the importers loved to throw on their products. Despair meant the ham was slightly off but they still expected you to pay a lot for it. Melancholy was a nice bit sour note that Varric would accept in a pinch but the best ham was said to taste of longing. It was sweet and juicy (or as juicy as dried meat could get.) The rind was extra salty so you get a wildly different experience depending on how you ate the ham. The top was just begging for a spread of mustard, which Varric applied to his ham.

The best mustard came from Antiva, hands down no other nation in Thedas had mustards seeds that produced quite as strong a flavour. Antiva also had decent lemons which they added to their mustard to give it a delightful sour tinge to them. The also added dandelion root, probably to keep going with the yellow theme and… well it didn’t really add anything productive to the taste but it did keep your shits regular in a pinch. The thick mustard also grabbed carrot shavings and held them in place, carrot shaving like the ones Varric was sprinkling over his mustard now.

In Varric’s experience, a carrot was a carrot, it didn’t matter where it came from as long as it wasn’t diseased. You could go to any vegetable stand in Thedas and grab the brightest orange stick you could find and you were not likely to be disappointed.

With all these ingredients combined Varric had what was, in his humble opinion, the greatest combination of food in Thedas. Bianca had shared that assessment and Varric would wrangle all the ingredients together on days when he was feeling particularly nostalgic.

He laid Bianca (the crossbow) on the chair next to him so he wouldn’t be dining alone and uncorked a bottle of Rivani rice wine. Bianca’s favorite vintage, Varric’s too though he would go to his grave insisting Antivan’s made better wine because it infuriated Bianca.

He raised his bottle, not bothering with a glass and said a silent toast to the greatest inventor Thedas would ever see.


End file.
